Pha terpolymer compositions

Abstract

A polymer composition is disclosed which includes at least a first biodegradable copolymer. This first biodegradable copolymer is itself made up of: (1) from about 55 to about 99.5 mole percent monomer residues of 3-hydroxybutyrate, (2) monomer residues of a secondary monomer selected from the group consisting of 4-hydroxybutyrate, 3-hydroxyvalerate, 4-hydroxyvalerate, and 5-hydroxyvalerate, and (3) monomer residues of a tertiary monomer selected from the group consisting of hydroxyalkanoate monomers having from 6 to 22 carbon atoms.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A polymer composition comprising:
 a first biodegradable copolymer, the first biodegradable copolymer comprising   from about 55 to about 99.5 mole percent monomer residues of 3-hydroxybutyrate,   monomer residues of a secondary monomer selected from the group consisting of 4-hydroxybutyrate, 3-hydroxyvalerate, 4-hydroxyvalerate, and 5-hydroxyvalerate, and   monomer residues of a tertiary monomer selected from the group consisting of hydroxyalkanoate monomers having from 6 to 22 carbon atoms,   wherein the monomer residues of the secondary monomer and the tertiary monomer combined comprise from about 1 to about 35 mole percent of the first biodegradable copolymer.   
     
     
         2 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the secondary monomer comprises 3-hydroxyvalerate. 
     
     
         3 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the secondary monomer comprises 4-hydroxybutyrate. 
     
     
         4 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the secondary monomer comprises 4-hydroxyvalerate. 
     
     
         5 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the secondary monomer comprises 5-hydroxyvalerate. 
     
     
         6 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the tertiary monomer comprises 3-hydroxyhexanoate. 
     
     
         7 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the tertiary monomer comprises 3-hydroxyoctanoate. 
     
     
         8 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the tertiary monomer comprises 3-hydroxydecanoate 
     
     
         9 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the first biodegradable copolymer comprises
 from about 0.01 to about 20 mole percent monomer residues of the secondary monomer, and   from about 1 to about 35 mole percent monomer residues of the tertiary monomer.   
     
     
         10 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the first biodegradable copolymer comprises
 from about 1 to about 35 mole percent monomer residues of the secondary monomer, and   from about 0.01 to about 20 mole percent monomer residues of the tertiary monomer.   
     
     
         11 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the first biodegradable copolymer comprises
 from about 84 to about 99.5 mole percent monomer residues of 3-hydroxybutyrate,   from about 0.1 to about 1.0 mole percent monomer residues of a secondary monomer selected from the group consisting of 4-hydroxybutyrate, 3-hydroxyvalerate, 4-hydroxyvalerate, and 5-hydroxyvalerate, and   from about 0.4 to about 15 mole percent monomer residues of a tertiary monomer selected from the group consisting of hydroxyalkanoate monomers having from 6 to 22 carbon atoms.   
     
     
         12 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the first biodegradable copolymer comprises
 from about 84 to about 99.5 mole percent monomer residues of 3-hydroxybutyrate,   from about 0.4 to about 15 mole percent monomer residues of a secondary monomer selected from the group consisting of 4-hydroxybutyrate, 3-hydroxyvalerate, 4-hydroxyvalerate, and 5-hydroxyvalerate, and   from about 0.1 to about 1.0 mole percent monomer residues of a tertiary monomer selected from the group consisting of hydroxyalkanoate monomers having from 6 to 22 carbon atoms.   
     
     
         13 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the first biodegradable copolymer has a weight average molecular weight from about 50,000 to about 7.5 million Daltons. 
     
     
         14 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the first biodegradable copolymer has a weight average molecular weight from about 350,000 to about 1.5 million Daltons. 
     
     
         15 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the polymer composition comprises from about 50 weight percent to about 95 weight percent of the first biodegradable copolymer and further comprises from about 5 weight percent to about 50 weight percent of a second biodegradable polymer selected from the group consisting of polybutylene adipate terephthalate, polybutylene succinate, polybutylene succinate-co-adipate, polylactic acid, mesolactide, polycaprolactone, polyglycolide, starches, cellulose esters, polysaccharides, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate, polymaleic acid, copolyesters of diols having 2 to 18 carbon atoms and diacids having 2 to 18 carbon atoms, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the first biodegradable copolymer is blended or reactively extruded with the second biodegradable polymer 
     
     
         17 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the first biodegradable copolymer is blended or reactively extruded with additional polyhydroxyalkanoates. 
     
     
         18 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the polymer composition comprises from about 50 weight percent to about 95 weight percent of the first biodegradable copolymer and further comprises from about 5 weight percent to about 50 weight percent of a nonbiodegradable polymer selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the polymer composition further comprises from about 0.01 weight percent to about 20 weight percent of a nucleating agent selected from the group consisting of (1) compounds having an orthorhombic crystal structure, (2) compounds having a hexagonal crystal structure, (3) compounds having a tetragonal crystal structure, (4) allotrophic elements having at least one crystalline form which is orthorhombic, hexagonal, or tetragonal, (5) polymorphic compounds having at least one crystalline form which is orthorhombic, hexagonal, or tetragonal, and (6) mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         20 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the polymer composition further comprises from about 1.0 weight percent to about 40 weight percent of a filler selected from the group consisting of clays, calcium carbonate, talc, kaolinite, montmorillonite, bentonite, silica, chitin, titanium dioxide, nano clay, nanocellulose, or mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         21 . The polymer composition of  claim 1 , wherein the polymer composition further comprises from about 0.5 weight percent to about 25 weight percent of a plasticizer selected from the group consisting of sebacates, citrates, fatty esters of adipic, succinic, and glucaric acids, lactates, alkyl diesters having a having a main carbon chain of from about 2 to about 12 carbon atoms, alkyl methyl esters, dibenzoates, propylene carbonate, caprolactone diols having a weight average molecular weight from about 200 to about 10,000, polyethylene glycols diols having a weight average molecular weight from about 400 to about 10,000, esters of vegetable oils, long chain alkyl acids having from about 10 to about 20 carbon atoms, glycerol, isosorbide derivatives and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         22 . A molded article comprising at least 50 weight percent of the polymer composition of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         23 . An extruded article comprising at least 50 weight percent of the polymer composition of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         24 . A fiber or filament comprising at least 50 weight percent of the polymer composition of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         25 . A polymeric film comprising at least 50 weight percent of the polymer composition of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         26 . A foamed article comprising at least 50 weight percent of the polymer composition of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         27 . A dispersion comprising at least 50 weight percent of the polymer composition of  claim 1 .